The present disclosure relates generally to friction stirring and a method of joining therewith, particularly to a friction stir nut and a friction stir rivet nut, and a method of joining therewith.
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a method used to join metal workpieces that generally uses a cylindrical shouldered tool with a profiled pin that is rotated at the joint line between two workpieces while being traversed along the joint line. The rotary motion of the tool generates frictional heat that serves to soften and plasticize the workpieces. As the pin moves laterally, the softened material, contributed by both workpieces, intermingles in the wake of the traversing pin and cools and hardens due to the absence of further frictional stirring, creating a bond between the two workpieces.
Recent advances in friction stir processes have extended the FSW technique to friction stir riveting (FSR), where a stir rivet is rotated and advanced into an arrangement of workpieces to be joined such that the material of the workpieces plasticizes around the rivet during the friction stirring, and then hardens around the rivet when the body of the rivet stops rotating and the workpieces and rivet are allowed to cool.
Both of the aforementioned processes result in a bonded workpieces. However, in some instances it may be desirable to both bond the workpieces and provide a means for receiving additional hardware. Accordingly, there is a need in the art to further advance the technology of friction stir bonding in a manner that offers opportunities for the addition of supplementary features and capabilities through the use of additional hardware at the point of bonding.